IPD steps up traffic enforcement

The Ironton City Council heard about roads, the water rate and what the police department is doing at the Thursday meetings.

An ordinance was on the agenda to increase wastewater usage from $5 per 1,000 gallons to $8.25 per 1,000 gallons.

Fred Wells, of Scherer Road, asked the council if it was possible to get a variance from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency from their mandate to decrease acceptable levels of mercury from the current level of 53 nanograms per liter to 12 nanograms per liter when water is released from the city wastewater plant. That is a 77 percent reduction.

Vice Mayor Craig Harvey said there were multiple issues as to why there needed to be a rate increase including an upcoming EPA mandate on phosphorus removal from wastewater, increased cost for sludge removal, redundancies not being fulfilled at the plant and a shortage in the wastewater fund.

“Our bottom line has gotten smaller and smaller and now its in the red,” Harvey said. “But I can tell you that the mercury standard we are being held to is ridiculous. Rainwater contains more mercury than we are putting into the system. But EPA has made us go below the standard of rainwater.”

Council referred the question about getting a variance to Wastewater Superintendent Dennis Gumbert, who said that the city has used up their five-year variance and the Ohio EPA is issuing their permit on Sept. 31. The new limit goes into effect on Sept. 1.

“I’ve gone ahead and applied for a variance anyway but I have not heard back from them yet,” he said. “An EPA official asked me if I was going to apply for a variance. I got it done and the mayor signed it. We haven’t heard back.”

Councilman Bob Cleary said that they would not be passing the rate increase ordinance on Thursday.

“There are a lot of points to be discussed. It’s going to go six weeks at least, as far as I’m concerned, that’s my one vote,” he said. “Maybe we can do something different and not have to raise the rate. But it is not going to be passed tonight.”

And it wasn’t.

The council did pass an ordinance to buy chemicals for the wastewater plant.

Acting Ironton Police chief, Detective-Captain Joe Ross, introduced himself to the council and gave them a list of things that the department has been working on.

That includes more enforcement of traffic laws.

“We’ve probably done more traffic enforcement in the past 11 days than we did last year,” he said, adding they’ve been enforcing the city’s ordinance against campers. “I don’t think there is one left on city streets, so we are moving in a positive direction.”

He has also talked to Street Superintendent Mike Pemberton about doubling the size of the impound lot to accommodate more cars impounded after a traffic violation.

The police department is working with the Ironton Health Department to get junk cars and other junk moved off people’s property.

Councilman Kevin Waldo asked about DUI citations written by the Ohio State Highway Patrol in downtown Ironton.

Ross said officers had been told that would not be happening anymore.

“There is now a sign downstairs that says the Ohio State Patrol will not be doing our job for us anymore in the city of Ironton,” he said. “If an Ironton police officer stops someone for DUI, it will not be turned over to another agency. That was told to everyone in the police department and it will not happen again.”

He admitted the department’s Breathalyzer machine was broken, but he was taking it up to Mansfield on Monday for repair. Until then, officers have been issued urine analysis test kits to see if someone is intoxicated.

Mayor Katrina Keith addressed City Council that she had spoken with both the Ohio Department of Transportation and KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission about the section of Ohio 141, Second Street along Park Avenue that belongs to the city and needs to be repaired. ODOT had done core sampling and found that the foundation isn’t strong enough to support truck traffic. So it needs to taken to the ground, a new foundation created and then repaved.

“That’s a $4 million project,” she said. “From Park Avenue to the bridge is $4 million. (ODOT) realizes we cannot afford that. I’m sure ODOT cannot afford that.”

KYOVA has agreed to do repaving and then monitor the road for the next five to seven years to make sure it is in decent shape.

She said her office got three bids to put the bricks back into the roads where they were removed for work to separate the combined sewer and storm water lines.

Keith said most of the bids came in around $70,000 and is being reviewed before the bids were presented to council.

Cleary asked if $28,000 left over from the budget would go towards the project. Keith said that it would.

Councilman Kevin Waldo asked if the original bricks from the project had been located.

“Oh, yeah. We have them,” Keith said.